West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-01-07
THE JEW, HISTORIC AND REAL

The cables are constantly bring
ing us stories of outrages committed
in various parts OF the world upon
the Jews; and as the Jew is. becom-
ing more and more an integral fac
tor of our own life. it is natural that
we should. and manifest that we do.
take an increased and increasing
interest in all that concerns him.
From the beginningof the tradition
OF the Wandering jew to this pres
ent moment, a mist has attached
itself to the race. We weep over
the sorrows and struggles of the He
brew heroine in Barley Campbell's
noble play Of siberia and we
laugh over the humors of ''Saml
ofPoscn;" and, through all our tears
and smiles, we see the Jew in but
weird, dim way, and generally wind
up by abusing him. Is this alto
gether just or reasonable9
In his amusing and ingenious
novel, Samuel Brohl ct Co.." Vic
tor Cherboullez quotes some philos
opher as saying tlsat the jew is
everywhere just VIII { the govern
ment, under which, and the people
with whom, he lives, make him.
This is very true. In England and
America, where he is well treated,
he is 4 good citizen, full Of private
worth and public speit. In Spain
and on The Balkan eninsula, where
he is prosecuted, he is,a good deal
of a devil. In Germany the two
great grievances urged against the
Jews seem to be that the Jews have
got hold Of far too large q proper
ton Of the press. and that they poke
their way into more and better bus
mess than Germans can convenient
IL spare them. IN France. however,
Jews are acknowledged Ia he well
treated. They receive grant from
the State for the purposes CT their
religion, they are by law admissible
to every office, and the ecareer of M.
Cremieux shows that this eligibility
is more than nominal and theoretl-
cal. But although Lliis libcralily of
.i4catmcGt. so far IS itcXtends. may
De creditable to America, England
and France. vet II We book at EGFope
generally, il is impossible not 10 be
struck with the fact That the more
Jews there are in aco6ntry the more
violent is the dislike t&then. There
are Only 10000 jews IN all England,
and only 5e,0o0 in France. But in
Germany there are 100000, in Ger
man Austria twice as many. in Rus
siu over 2,000,0G0, and in Roumania
there are over 100000 in popna-
ton of 100000. In Turkey, no
doubt, tie Jews are better treated
than in the adjacent nominally
Christian States, hut in European
Turkey ihcre are probably not 20.
000 Jews, and in Syria, which in
c!udcs the ancien: seat of the race,
there are only 10000, or rs many as
IN the distant island Of England.
Why the jews were prosecuted in
old days needs no explanation.
They were prosecuted because it was
thought not only permissible. hut =.
sacred duty, to persecute them.
They were supported under persccu
tion, and were enabled to preserve
their idensity as people by the
bonds and ties OF race, by the so!a
tion attendant on peculiar customs,
and by the consciousness that ,h"y.
were the appointed drpGsltarlcS It
the law. Persecution tainted them
with the vices which oppression al
ways develops in the oppressed. But
persecution never lowered the Jew
into an acquiescence in the supcri-
ority of the Christian. He gave
back scorn for scorn, and the jew
honestly, il secretly, thought The
Christian as much OF a dog rs the
Christian thought the Jew. All
communities which are bclow the
highest scale of civilization dislike
aliens in their midst. aliens OF whom
they are never rid. AMI aliens WHO
offend the feelings on whi,h the ma
tives most pride themselves. and
which they cherish most fondiy.
And the Jews were not only aliens
who lived in small circle OF their
own. but who had the greatest ob,
lection to be anything hut aliens.
The last howl Of Jewish inligaa-
ton in countries where they haze
been prosecuted has always been re
served for those of their Own fold
who have strayed into something
that looked ike too close L ti';l0w
ship with the Christian. 4 German
novelist has lately portraye'l the
miserable career of Russian ,iew,
who, having tarn for military lie,
re.enlisted after MS time Of service
was over, and returned 10 his hone,
10 be treated as an eutcasr. bcranse
he had served Christian 9overn
ment longer than he was obliged TO
do so. 1t is not therefore wonderful
that the Jews should have been
hated rs aliens, and shanld have
been all the more hated hecanse